Cable logging system.



PATENTBD MAY 24, 1904.

J. N. HORNBLOWBR.

- CABLE LOGGING SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15- 1908.

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N0 MODEL.

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No. 760,455. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

J. N. HORNBLOWER. CABLE LOGGING SYSTEM.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 16, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CABLE LOGGING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 760,455, dated May 24, 1904.

Application filed June 15, 1903. Serial No. 161,557. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osIAn N. I-IoENBLownR, of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable Logging Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for hauling logs from the woods where they are out to mills or other localities more or less remote from the woods where the logs are to be util ized or from which they are to be transported by the usual means of transportation.

The invention has for its object to provide an apparatus or system adapted, in the first place, to form an ice-road from the woods to the mill or other terminus, and, in the second place, after the formation of the icc-road, to rapidly and effectively transport logs over the same.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

()f the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation showing a train of sleds and cables connected therewith, the whole embody ing my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged side elevation of the pilot-sled carrying the tank for use in forming the ice-road. Fig. 4L represents a side elevation of the former shown in Fig. 3 removed from the sled and a transverse section of an ice-road the surface of which is shaped by said former. Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 4, showing asled supported by the ice-road. Fig. 6 represents a longitudinal section of the chief parts of the motor-sled. Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are diagrammatic views illustrating my invention.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In carrying out my invention I construct an ice-road leading from the woods to a mill or other terminus, the road being preferably formed in cross-section, as illustrated in Figs. 4: and 5, grooves a a. being provided to engage sled-runners. Between the grooves is a central ridge (0', and at the outer side of the grooves are side ridges a a. This road may be formed by saturating snow with waterand molding or forming the saturated snow by means of a suitable former I), hereinafter described, while the snow is freezing. A suitable manner of operating the former I) will be described hereinafter. c e 0 represent a series of cables which extend along the said ice-road, each cable being attached at one end to a support (i. As will be observed by reference to Fig. 7, one end of each cable is free,

the length of each cable being such that its free end may extend to or somewhat beyond the support (Z of the next cable. \Vhen the road is ready to operate, the cables 0 c 0 may lie beside or on the road, all the cables ex tending in one direction. The length of each cable will depend upon the nature of the country traversed by the road and the number of curves in the road. A hilly country will obviously require cables of shorter length than a level country, and a road with frequent turns and curves will require shorter cables than a relatively straight road. The cables are preferably of steel wire, and each should be strong enough to lift about twelve tons. The supports cl may be stout posts firmly anchored beside the road, or they may be tree trunks. The connectionsbetween the cables and the supports (Z should be such as to permit the ready reversal of the direction in which each cable extends from its support.

0 represents a platform supported by sledrunners, of which two sets (2' and c are here shown. The platform and its runners will be hereinafter referred to as the motor-sled, the platform being provided with a steam-enginef of any suitable type and with a suitable steam-boiler f to supply the engine.

9 g represent two drums journaled in bearings upon the motor-sled, said drums being substantially parallel with each other and retated simultaneously in the same direction, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 6, by suitable connection with the engine. I have here shown a driving-gear 71, connected by a pitman c with the cross-head w of the engine, said drivinggear meshing with gears 2 i, affixed to the drums g g.

The motor-sled may be impelled upon the road as follows: Supposing the motor-sled to' be at one end of the road, one of the drums is engaged with the free end of the first cable 0, the other drum being full. The drum is then rotated by the engine and gradually winds the cable upon it, the pull exerted by the drum upon the cable causing the sled to move toward the support (Z of the first cable. When the sled reaches the support (Z of the first cable, the said cable is wound upon the drum with which it was first engaged, the other drum becoming empty. As the sled passes by the first support (Z the cable 0, attached thereto, swings around, so that it extends from its support in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8. The next cable, 0', is now engaged with the empty drum, and both drums are again set in motion in the opposite direction, the cable 0 being wound upon one of the drums, while the cable 0 is unwound from the other drum. When the sled reaches the support of the cable 0', said cable has been taken up by the drum with which it was engaged, the cable 0 being unwound and left upon or beside the track, as indicated in Fig. 9. The empty drum is then engaged with the free end of the next cable and the engine is again started, causing the cable to be accumulated upon the drum with which it is engaged, the cable 0 being unwound and left lying upon or beside the track. hen the motor-sled reaches the support of the third cable 0 the said cable is wound upon its drum, and the cable 0 is left lying upon or beside the track, as indicated in Fig. 10. It will be seen that the drum from which the cable is being unwound may be utilized to hold back the motor-sled when descending a hill, the other drum simply taking up the slack of the other cable.

j represents a pilotsled connected by a coupling rod or bar Zcwith the motor-sled and arranged to run a suitable distance in advance of the latter. The said pilot-sled is provided with a leading block or pulley m, which engages the cable which is being wound upon a drum of the motor-sled. The leading-block thus located in advance of the motor-sled guides the cable and prevents undue side strain of the cable upon the motor-sled in passing around curves in the road. I prefer to interpose another guide-block 02 between the leading or pilot block m and the drums the pulling-cable passing under the guide-block n, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

0 represents a sled which may be one of a train connected with the motor-sled for holding the logs p to be transported.

The pilot-sled 'may beutilized for supporting a water-tank 9, having a sprinkler g arranged to discharge streams of water upon the bed of snow or upon the road over which the pilot-sled is moving. As here shown, the ice-road former b is secured to the inclined forward end portions of the runners of the pilot-sled j, the said former being held in an inclined position and adapted to be adjusted incoming cable.

up and down in guides r by any suitable means, such as gears or pinions s, afiixed to a shaft journaled in hearings on the pilot-sled and racks s, affixed to the former Z).

The ice-road may be formed by forcing the motor-sled, with the pilot-sled in advance, slowly over a bed of snow which may or may not have been previously trodden down or compressed, the said sleds being propelled by the engine and cables, as above described. After the road has been formed and is in condition for use it may be frequently repaired or reinforced by sending the sprinkler-sled over it. This operation may be performed at night to avoid loss of time. The tank q serves as a convenient means for giving the necessary weight to the pilot-sled to keep its runners in the grooves of the track.

It will be seen that the blocks or pulleys m and a make provision for the guidance of the For the guidance of the outgoing cable I provide one or more pulleys u, located on the platform 6, below the drums a Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without having attempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be made or all the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim is- 1. A logging or hauling system comprising a track, fixed supports located at intervals along the track, cables secured to said supports, each cable being attached reversibly or at one end only, and a motor-vehicle adapted to run on said track and provided with means for engaging two adjacent cables simultaneously.

2. ,Alogging or hauling system comprising a track, fixed supports located at intervals along the track, reversible cables secured to said supports, and a motor-vehicle adapted to run on said track and having a plurality of power-driven drums for engagement with said cables, substantially as described.

3. A logging or hauling system comprising a track, fixed supports located at intervals along the track, reversible cables secured to said supports, a vehicle adapted to run on the track, a plurality of drums on said vehicle, each adapted to engage one of said cables, and means for rotating said drums simultaneously, whereby one drum may be caused to take up a cable attached to one support, while the other drum gives out a cable attached to the next support.

4. A logging or hauling system comprising a track, a series of reversible cables supported at intervals along the track, a motor-sled adapted to runon the track and having a pair of drums driven simultaneously and adapted to engage two adjacent cables, one drum taking up and the other giving out a cable, and a pilot-sled coupled to the motor-sled and having a lead-pulley engaging the incoming cable.

A logging or hauling system comprising a track, a series of reversible cables supported atintervals along the traclga motor-sled adapted to run on the track and having a pair of drums driven simultaneously and adapted to engage two adjacent cables, one drum taking up and the other giving out a cable, and a pilot-sled coupled to the motor-sled, the motorsled having also a guide-pulley interposed between the lead-pulley and the drums.

6. A logging or hauling system comprising a track, a series of reversible cables supported at intervals along the track, a motor-sled adapted to run on the track and having a pair of drums driven simultaneously and adapted to engage two adjacent cables, one drum taking up and the other giving out a cable, a pilotsled coupled to the motor-sled, and means on the pilot-sled for forming an ice-track.

7 A logging or hauling system comprising a track, a series of reversible cables supported at intervals along the track, a motor-sled adapted to run on the track and having a pair of drums driven simultaneously and adapted to engage two adjacent cables, one drum taking up and the other giving out a cable, a pilotsled coupled to the motor-sled, and a track or road former secured to the pilot-sled.

8. A logging or hauling system comprising a track, a series of reversible cables supported at intervals along the track, a motor-sled adapted to run on the track and having a pair of drums driven simultaneously and adapted to engagetwo adjacent cables, one drum taking up and the other giving out a cable, a pilotsled coupled to the motor-sled, and a sprinkling-tank carried by the pilot-sled.

9. In a logging or hauling system, the combination of a motor-sled, a pilot-sled coupled to the motor-sled, means for impelling the motorsled, and means on the pilot-sled for forming an icetrack.

10. Ina logging or hauling system, the combination of a motor-sled, a pilot-sled coupled to the motor-sled, a track or road former secured to the pilot-sled, and means for impelling the motor-sled.

11. In a logging or hauling system, the combination of a motor-sled, a pilot-sled coupled to the motor-sled, a sprinkling-tank carried by the pilot-sled, and means for'impelling the motor-sled.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSIAH N. I:I()RNBLO\VER.

W'itnesses:

STUART A. CoATs, TI-Ios. J. JAMES. 

